What does "saponify" mean?

To convert (a fat or oil) into soap.

Saponify

verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Verb

1
To convert (a fat or oil) into soap. transitive
2
convert into soap by hydrolizing an ester into an acid and alcohol as a result of treating it with an alkali wordnet
3
To be converted into soap. intransitive
4
become converted into soap by being hydrolized into an acid and alcohol as a result of being treated with an alkali wordnet
5
To hydrolyze (an ester) using an alkali. transitive

From French saponifier, from Late Latin sāpō, sāpōnem (“soap”).